Pritchard Had To Step Back From Barton 'Whirlwind'

The Kooks star Luke Pritchard has opened up about his romance with actress Mischa Barton, insisting he called off their relationship because he needed to "pull himself back" from "the whirlwind."The couple split last March (09) amid speculation they found it hard to maintain their trans-Atlantic relationship. The British rocker admits he had a good time with the former The O.C. star, but disliked being caught up in her wild lifestyle when he saw his private life slapped across gossip columns. He tells the U.K.'s Metro newspaper, "Personally I never thought I’d be that person or be perceived in that way. It just kind of happened. Things happen really quickly and then you are in certain situations but I enjoyed it. There was a time when I didn’t know what the f**k was going on at all. It was just the whirlwind of it all. You just end up in certain situations and it’s fun then, sometimes you want to just pull yourself back a bit." Pritchard reveals he rarely contacts his ex-girlfriend now, but they are still on friendly terms. He adds, "I don’t see her. I did see her the last time I was in New York and we were perfectly amicable."